Book
Cue the sun! : the invention of reality TV / Emily Nussbaum.
"From beloved New Yorker TV critic Emily Nussbaum comes a groundbreaking narrative detailing the fights, egos, drama, and future presidents of reality television. Cue the Sun is a rollicking, deeply reported story about how the early reality TV business metastasized into an industry that now dominates entertainment in the United States. Starting in 1948, Nussbaum pulls back the curtain on the cultural meat grinder that created a generation-defining form of entertainment, examining shows from The Real World to Survivor to The Apprentice. Through extensive interviews, Nussbaum follows the reality TV industry from its inception with shows like Candid Camera to its 90s heyday and 00s aftermath. The book dives into some of the industry's most remarkable stories -- for instance, the one where a serial killer on the run once appeared on The Dating Game"-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780525508991 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: xix, 440 pages ; 25 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York : Random House, [2024]
- Copyright: ©2024
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Reality television programs > United States > History and criticism. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroud Branch | 791.456 Nus | 31681010383149 | NONFIC | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
"From beloved New Yorker TV critic Emily Nussbaum comes a groundbreaking narrative detailing the fights, egos, drama, and future presidents of reality television. Cue the Sun is a rollicking, deeply reported story about how the early reality TV business metastasized into an industry that now dominates entertainment in the United States. Starting in 1948, Nussbaum pulls back the curtain on the cultural meat grinder that created a generation-defining form of entertainment, examining shows from The Real World to Survivor to The Apprentice. Through extensive interviews, Nussbaum follows the reality TV industry from its inception with shows like Candid Camera to its 90s heyday and 00s aftermath. The book dives into some of the industry's most remarkable stories--for instance, the one where a serial killer on the run once appeared on The Dating Game"-- - Baker & Taylor
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning New Yorker writer this history of reality television focuses on its origins as told through the voices of those who built it as well as the consequences of the hunt for something real inside something fake. - Random House, Inc.
The rollicking saga of reality television, a âsweepingâ (The Washington Post) cultural history of Americaâs most influential, most divisive artistic phenomenon, from the Pulitzer Prizeâwinning New Yorker writerââa must-read for anyone interested in television or popular cultureâ (NPR)
âPassionate, exquisitely told . . . With muscular prose and an exacting eye for detail . . . [Nussbaum] knits her talents for sharp analysis and telling reportage well.ââThe New York Times (Editorsâ Choice)
In development as a docuseries from the studio behind Spencer and Spotlight
ONE OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE AND THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARYâS TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The Boston Globe
FINALIST FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION
Who invented reality television, the worldâs most dangerous pop-culture genre? And why canât we look away? In this revelatory, deeply reported account of the rise of âdirty documentaryââfrom its contentious roots in radio to the ascent of Donald TrumpâEmily Nussbaum unearths the origin story of the genre that ate the world, as told through the lively voices of the people who built it. At once gimlet-eyed and empathetic, Cue the Sun! explores the morally charged, funny, and sometimes tragic consequences of the hunt for something real inside something fake.
In sharp, absorbing prose, Nussbaum traces the jagged fuses of experimentation that exploded with Survivor at the turn of the millennium. She introduces the genreâs trickster pioneers, from the icy Allen Funt to the shambolic Chuck Barris; Cops auteur John Langley; cynical Bachelor ringmaster Mike Fleiss; and Jon Murray and Mary-Ellis Bunim, the visionaries behind The Real Worldâalong with dozens of stars from An American Family, The Real World, Big Brother, Survivor, and The Bachelor. We learn about the tools of the tradeâlike the Frankenbite, a deceptive editorâs best friendâand ugly tales of exploitation. But Cue the Sun! also celebrates realityâs peculiar power: a jolt of emotion that could never have come from a script.
What happened to the first reality stars, the Loudsâand why wonât they speak to the couple who filmed them? Which serial killer won on The Dating Game? Nussbaum explores reality TV as a strike-breaker, the queer roots of Bravo, the dark truth behind The Apprentice, and more. A shrewd observer who adores television, Nussbaum is the ideal voice for the first substantive history of the genre that, for better or worse, made America what it is today.
